Should You Write Slower?

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There’s constant pressure to write and finish writing. So you set quantifiable goals that you need to meet—no matter what. You do them at a speed that often ignores the sustainability of your craft.

That can lead to burnout. Writing slowly seems counterintuitive, but may just be the secret to getting more work done.

What is Slow Writing?

Slow writing has a loose and flexible meaning. To most writers, it’s going to be about not thinking of their writing as a race that needs to be rushed.

Slow writers like to take their time in building a story. They are thoughtful and deliberate in their words. They plan meticulously, consider the choices to be made, and ask themselves the hard questions now instead of later. 

But sometimes, slow writing isn’t about speed but about scope. The book you’re building might be so detailed and complex that it takes time to write no matter your writing speed. Or maybe your writing process focuses on one thing at a time rather than doing all the things at once.

It could even be about your lifestyle. Some writers simply have less time to devote to the craft for one reason or another.

Some Writers are Fast Writers

Some writers write fast, and that’s fine! People approach the craft differently and often in the ways that work for them. 

However, new writers often mistakenly believe that writing fast is the only way to write better. Putting out more work can feel more fulfilling and allows you to build your audience quicker. A bigger audience means more sales and recognition coming your way.

That is certainly an advantage, but hardly an absolute. Even slow writers can churn out words when they’ve found their flow or are knowledgeable about their topics. 

So permit yourself to write slowly from time to time. Find a balance between the two speeds that you can sustain. 

Advantages of Slow Writing

Here are a few reasons why you might want to slow down your writing.

1. Attention to Detail

When you write fast, you’re more prone to miss things—important things. Sure, you can take care of them in the next rewrite but adding, changing, or removing stuff can affect the entirety of your draft.

Slow writing means you can devote yourself to exploring your topics and making sure each piece of information is correct. And because you’re able to explore them more, you can provide a deeper level of knowledge to your readers.

In fiction, a lack of details leads to shallow world-building and plot holes. In nonfiction, it means possibly providing your readers with incorrect or extremely basic information.

Attention to detail extends into the consistency of how you write. You’re able to maintain and build upon your style and tone to create a better reading experience for your readers. 

2. Mindful Writing

Writing slowly allows you to be more intentional with your words. You’re able to “feel” them out and see whether each element you’ve written flows well into one another. 

Have you ever read a book that feels poetic despite being prose? The author probably brings out that feeling by using appropriate, powerful words. Using such words infuse your writing with emotion and authenticity, forging a deeper connection with your readers.

Consider the opening lines of The Lovely Bones:

“My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.”

There’s nothing ornate about these two sentences. And yet, they’re able to set the scene of the entire book, simply through the right words. 

3. Quality over Quantity

When you write fast, you inevitably pay less attention to your errors. You also tend to use the words or ideas that first come to your mind. Usually, that means relying on cliches to “fill up” your prose and leave them for the next rewrite. 

Writing slowly minimizes your chances of making mistakes, resulting in a cleaner draft. And when you have fewer errors to correct, the faster you complete your work. 

It also encourages you to use original thoughts and expressions, leading to deeper and more personal writing. 

4. Less Stress

Writing at a slower pace relieves you of the pressure to rush and meet increasingly hard-to-meet deadlines. This usually leads to a more enjoyable writing experience.

Deadlines are necessary for writing. However, there’s a difference between giving yourself a timetable and putting yourself under unreasonable demands.

By writing slower, you can sustain your writing for longer. Writing fast isn’t beneficial if it leads to burnout for the same amount of time you spend writing, maybe even more.

5. Learning

Writing is an ongoing process of learning. Because you’re more intentional with your words when writing slowly, you notice more about the process. 

Self-reflection is an important aspect of writing as it often has a personal element. By writing slowly, you have more time to understand your writing habits and evaluate your level of skill. 

Should You Write Fast or Slow?

This isn’t an article against fast writers. There are absolute machines out there who consistently churn out excellent writing in a short amount of time. It’s simply to demonstrate the advantages of slow writing—because the bottom line is that you write in the way that works for you. 

Some stories are sprints while others are marathons. Quickly-written stories can be just as entertaining and interesting as slowly-written ones. It all depends on what you want to tell and how you want to tell it. 

Do you write fast or slow? Share your experience below!

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